Steering-gear for automobiles.



PATENTED OCT. 1, 1907.

W. .W. MAGFARREN. STEERING GEAR FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION IILED MAB. 9, 1907- W n/70,7 WW

Wag [55:5 J M 3 NITE STATES ,Pa rnnr OFFICE.

' WALTER W. MACFARREN, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANlA, ASSIGNOR TO OFPITTSBURG PENN SY'LVANIA. I

STEERING-GEAR FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented 0 b. 1, 1907.

Application filed March 9,1907. Serial no. 361,623.

To all whom it may concern:-

Be it known that l, \VALTER W. MACFABREh', a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing atPittsburg, in the county of Allegheny andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Self-Propellcd Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to self-propelled vehicles, and particularly tosalt-propelled wagons and trucks for heavy hauling, as merchandise orbusses,

Myinvention relates more particularly to self-propelled vehicles usingcompressed air as a motive power,

- v for which I filed an application for Letter Patent of the UnitedStates on .lune18th, 1906, bearing the Serial No.

322207. v 1n the said application the air is compressed by an 4 aircompressor driven-by a gas engine, the same being located under the seatof the vehicle, or in any other convenient position. From the compressorthe compressed air'is led to a reservoir and from thence through acontrolling valve to a number of'compressed air motors, there beingpreferably four of these latter, one arranged to drive each wheel oithevehicle.

In the above application I have illustrated and claimed the variouselements of the combination with reference to the generation of thepower and its application to drive the wheels of the vehicle. I havealso illustrated and described therein the method and means employed forsteering the vehicle by com- 1 pressed air, but have not claimedthesemeans.

The purpose of the present applicationis to illustrate and claim themeans for steering the vehicle by compressed air. In this connection itis obviousthat for the purpose of the present application'it isimmaterial whether the air be compressed on the vehicle by a prime motorand compressor carried thereby, or whether the same be compressed in astationary power plant and pumped into a reservoir; on the vehicle.Further, it does not matter whether the wheels of the vehicle are drivenby compressed air or by the prime motor direct or by other means,suchas-stored power other than compressed air.

The elements necessary to the present combination are the wheelsf-thepivoted axles, the air cylinders for steering the wheels, the valvescontrolling the admission and release of the airpressure to and fromsaid cylinder and the reservoir for storing the 'air under pressure.

Referring to the drawing, the stub axles carrying the wheelshaveinounted thereon the levers 38; connected to these levers by links 39are pistons 40,. working in double cylinder 4]. These cylinders aresupported by the reach bar 42, the same being pivotally connected to theaxles 43. The cylinders 41 are also clamped or large passenger dourwheels at once.

fastened to axles 43, so that they are at all times parallel with theaxles. v

The cylinders 41 are divided by a division wall 44, and the pistons 40in each cylinder are connected by arod 45 so ,that both move together.Between the piston 40 and the division wall 44 there are inserted strongcoil springs 46. These springs are in closc.contact with the ends of thepistons 40, and with the division wall 44 so that no steering movementof the wheels can take place without compressing one or the other of thesprings.

Mounted on the dash board, or other location convenient to the drive, Iprovide two four way valves 47 01". ordinary construction. These valvesare connected to the reservoir by suitable piping, and also each of themis connected to a steering cylinder 41 in such manner that air pressuremay be applied to either end of the cylinder at will. By thisarrangement it is obvious that the air pressure .will overcome theresistance of the spring 46, and cause the wheels to assume ,variouspositions, "the same being controlled by the four way valves.

i In order to steer either set of wheels independently,

I provide two valves, and two cylinders, but the valves would usually beconnected in such a manner that both couldbe operated by one movement,thus steering all In order to provide against possible breaks in the airconnections, cylinders, springs, etc., of the air steering devices, Ialso provide on the front end of the vehicle levers .38, extendingforward from the stub axles carrying the wheels, these levers beingconnected by a link 48 having mounted thereon a curved rack or gearsegment 49. Engaging-with this rack there is a pinion 50, and connectedto this pinion by a vertical shaft,- a hand steering wheel 51.

I The extreme convenience and ease of operation-of this device will bereadily apparent, and the heaviest sists in the fact that the wheels areheld totheir course by yielding connections with the running gear, sothat they can yield sidewise to a slight extent and thus reduce theeffect of shocks.

I claim: y 1. In a motor vehicle, the combination of four wheels,

WM H. DONNER,

a fluid pressure supply, and means for steering either the j front orrear wheels independently or simultaneously by the application of saidfluid pressure.

2. In a motor vehicle, wheels, a reservoir ofcbmpressed air, a cylinder,apiston, connections between said piston and said wheels adapted tosteer the same, and a Spring arranged to return the wheels to theirdriginal position.

3. In a motor vehicle, the combination-of four wheels,

a fluid pressure supply, a pressure cylinder connected to a pair ofwheels and adapted to steer the same, a controlling valve adapted tocontrol the admission of the pressure to said cylinder, 21 secondpressure cylinder connected to a second pair of'wheels and adapted tosteer the same, a second controlling-valve adapted to control theadmission of the pressure to the second cylinder, and means foroperating said valves independently or simultaneously to steer thewheels.

4. In a motor vehicle, the combination ofwheels, a reservoir ofcompressed air, :1 double acting cylinder, pistonfi in said cylinder,connections between said pistons and said Wheels, springs Between saidpistons and the cylinder lie'ad adapted to hold said pistons in :1central position when the air pressure is not applied to snid vyll5-inder, and to return said pistons to :l central position after the airpressure has been released

